Labor Day Celebrations End Summer With A Bang

August 30, 1996|By Shirley Henderson, Tribune Staff Writer.

Labor Day weekend, the last summertime hurrah, is here.

Don't wave goodbye to the fireworks, festivals, gallery walks and parades just yet, as the weekend will be brimming with celebrations in and around the city, giving you a chance to end summer with a bang.

One of the biggest celebrations of the weekend will be the African Festival of the Arts, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday through Monday at the Du Sable Museum of African-American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. In addition to an African marketplace with 200 vendors, there'll be food, live music, dance workshops, games, performances, a poetry festival and more.

Tickets to the festival are $10 for a weekend pass or, for each day, $5 adults, $3 seniors and children. For more information, call 312-955-ARTS.

In conjunction with the African Festival of the Arts, for the first time there will be a Gallery Heritage Night, from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday. Art lovers can visit black-owned art galleries including Akainyah Gallery, Filli, Edo Studios, Nicole Gallery, Studio B and Satori Fine Art during a tour to include food, music and presentations.

Especially for the gallery walk, Darice Wright Camp, owner of the Satori gallery, 230 W. Superior St., is showing a special exhibit of works by Nigerian painter Obaji Nyambi. Camp describes it as a "cross-cultural body of work."

Admission to the gallery walk is $30 and includes free admission to the African Heritage Festival. For more information, call 312-955-ARTS.

Other fun stuff:

- Just because the 4th of July is over doesn't mean we cannot hear fireworks. The WXRT Rock 'n Roll Fireworks show will light up the sky at 10 p.m. Friday at Monroe Harbor, Monroe Street and Lake Michigan. Call 312-744-3315.

- Chicagoans love a parade, and the Wellington-Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society will present its 33rd annual Labor Day Parade at 11 a.m. Monday. The neighborhood parade will begin at the corner of Pine Grove and Wellington Avenues and end at 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive. Marchers will be treated to candy and be entertained by the Jesse White Tumblers. Call 312-755-0888 or 312-327-4924 (Labor Day weekend).

- The 19th annual Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival will be held Sunday and Monday. More than 100 hours of folk music, dance and storytelling will take place on various stages. Highlights include an old-time barn dance (6 p.m. Sunday) and ghost stories (7:30-10 p.m. Sunday). Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday at Island Park, Illinois Highway 38 and the Fox River, Geneva. Admission is $10 adults, $8 teens and seniors. Call 630-844-3655 or 630-897-3655.

- The Chicago Federation of Labor is celebrating its 100th year with Laborfest, on Monday at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. The daylong festival will feature several events on the Skyline Stage, including patriotic band music at 10 a.m., a labor rally at 11 a.m. and Stars of Chicago at 11:30 a.m. with the Navy Pier Pops Orchestra, the "Forever Plaid" cast members and stars from "Showboat."

You don't need tickets for shows on the dockside stages, which begin at 12:15 p.m. on Stage 3, with The Orchestra 33 Late Night Band. Admission is free.

For more information on the Laborfest, call 312-222-1000.

- Don't put the beach gear away just yet. The Miller Lite Championship Beach Volleyball tournament will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday at North Avenue Beach, North Avenue and Lake Michigan. Call 312-744-3315.

- Last call for a food fest: The Taste of Polonia gets underway at 11 a.m. and runs until dusk Friday through Sunday at Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenues. Call 312-744-3315.

- Or try Lyonsfest, a four-day eating spree with arts and crafts and live music. Groups include Young Souls and Infinity on Friday; Michael Austin Band, Don Griffin, The Boyzz and Molly Hatchett on Saturday; The Southsiders, Planet Groove, and Off Broadway on Sunday; and Big Hello and Bumble Bee Bob & The Stingers on Monday.